


Springs Eternal

by Severina



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Community: tamingthemuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-12
Updated: 2012-08-12
Packaged: 2017-11-11 23:46:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/484227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severina/pseuds/Severina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You’d think a couple of rich old coots would have a damn decent mattress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Springs Eternal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ's tamingthemuse community, for the prompt 'dilapidated'. 
> 
> Sequel to [Hope](http://archiveofourown.org/works/478210). Cheesetastic title gives me much glee. ;)
> 
> * * *

“They’re not leaving,” Glenn says from his post at the second floor window.

“Shit,” Daryl grumbles. “Why the hell not?”

Glenn gives him an incredulous look over his shoulder. “How should I know? Who do I look like, the geek whisperer?”

Daryl slumps back in the chair, shakes his head. “Simple run to a grocery store,” he mumbles. “In and fucking out.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault—“

“I say it was?”

“Okay. So… no.”

Daryl pulls himself up out of the chair, swipes a hand over his chin and paces the length of the room. “’Fore this, I bet there weren’t more than 100 people in this whole pissant little town. We show up, it’s a goddamn walker convention! It’s like we attract them or somethin’.”

“Must be our incredible good looks and sparkling wit,” Glenn says dryly. He lets the flimsy curtain fall back into place, leans against the wall with his hands behind his back. “Looks like we’re here for the duration. They’re gonna be worried back at camp.”

“Ain’t nothin’ we can do about that” Daryl says with a shrug. “We sleep here tonight, make a run for it in the morning. Hopefully the geeks’ll be cleared out by then.”

“Hopefully,” Glenn repeats darkly. He pushes off from the wall to lift the half-packed suitcase off the bed and then freezes. “Should I stay… or maybe I should go down the hall—“

Daryl ducks his head, eyes the bed warily. It’s huge, gotta be a queen at least, with plenty of room for both of them. So there ain’t really no reason to suggest that Glenn take the guest room. No reason except he don’t trust his traitorous body if he’s gotta spend the whole night in the same bed with the kid. It’s easy enough to avoid spending too much time with Glenn while they’re on the road and at the campsites they stay at for a night or two before the geeks force them to move on – he just keeps busy, goes out hunting, finds a quiet place to carve new arrows and mostly keeps to himself. It’s usually okay on supply runs like this one, too, ‘cause they’re always moving. And the kid ain’t much for small talk.

He realizes Glenn is still waiting for an answer, raises his head and straightens his shoulders. 

“Stick together,” Daryl says shortly. “Safety in numbers.”

“Right,” Glenn says. He chews at his bottom lip, looks up nervously. “At least we’ve got a bed. No sleeping on the ground tonight. That’ll be a nice change.”

“Right,” Daryl agrees.

He deliberately doesn’t look at Glenn as he shucks quickly out of his shirt and shoes and slides under the covers.

* * *

You’d think a couple of rich old coots would have a damn decent mattress.

Daryl shifts uncomfortably, trying to avoid the broken spring currently digging its way into his hip. He ends up on his side, flails out an arm to steady himself and stiffens when his groping hand finds its way onto Glenn’s hip. Glenn’s warm, smooth hip. Because Glenn evidently saw fit to strip down to his boxers. Daryl pulls his hand away quickly, mentally thanks whatever power is still up there – God or Buddha or whoever the fuck, Daryl’s sure he’s probably laughing his ass off – that it’s too dark for Glenn to see the flush spreading over his face.

“Sorry,” he mumbles.

“It’s okay,” Glenn whispers back. 

Daryl thinks he’s finally managed to find a halfway decent spot in between the broken springs, lays in the dark and tries to shut his mind down for the night. But the kid’s apparently having his own troubles getting comfortable. First there’s an elbow to the gut – “geez, sorry” – then a bare foot sliding along his calf – “fuck, sorry... again” – and then Glenn’s twistings and turnings result in him lying on his side as well, his face inches from Daryl’s. And this close, there ain’t nowhere to go and no place to hide.

He never noticed that the kid’s eyes were so dark. Could almost get lost in them.

Daryl blinks away the ridiculous thought, hunches his shoulders beneath the covers. Tries to somehow make himself smaller, subtly inch his body away from the other man. But as soon as he tries there’s that damn spring again, poking into his hip like a fucking shiv, and he’s forced to stay put, close enough that he can feel Glenn’s body heat, close enough to share his breath. Close enough to touch.

He huffs out a breath of his own, calls himself ten times a fool. Don’t matter what foolish ideas run around in his brain, ain’t no way Glenn would ever… well, ain’t no way Glenn would ever. That fling he had with Maggie is proof of that. And even if there wasn’t a Maggie, even if Maggie never existed at all, Glenn would never want him. Not him, not with all his faults, defects of character that’ve been well documented through the years. Glenn would never want him. Fuck, who would?

“They didn’t make it, did they?” Glenn asks softly.

Daryl blinks, Glenn’s voice calling him out of his reverie. “Huh?”

“The old couple that lived here. They didn’t make it.”

This close, Glenn’s eyes are wide and unblinking, so fucking trusting. Daryl worries his lip, shakes his head just slightly on the pillow. “No,” he says.

He feels the breath against his face as Glenn sighs. 

And then in the space of one heartbeat to the next, Glenn leans forward, brushes their lips together. 

“Thanks for saying they did,” Glenn murmurs. A moment later his eyes close. Five minutes after that, he’s asleep.

Daryl watches him until dawn.


End file.
